A Famous Mutiny

One of the most repugnant names in popular legend is that of Captain William Blight. He was the captain of the H.M.S. Bounty in 1789, and the mutiny that erupted aboard that ship was the basis for a film in which Charles Laughton portrayed Bligh as an awesome bully both the body and the spirit of anyone who crossed him. The crew developed such an aversion to Bligh’s mortifying actions and demeanor that, led by Fletcher Christian, they set the captain and 17 shipmates off in a lifeboat in the South Pacific. The ship continued to the Pitcairn Islands where the crew remained to live with the islanders. Laughton’s delineation of Bligh remains as the image we have of him. Only recently has any attempt been made to vindicate Captain Bligh and to remove the heinous reputation that permeates history.